Interest in Mobile Marketing for Small Business Rising

I read recently that small business owners are becoming increasingly interested in mobile marketing strategies. Ad-ology Research conducted a survey that found that over 20 percent of small business owners and managers stated that they planned to step up their efforts in this regard.

What makes the results of this survey interesting to me is the big jump in interest from two years ago. At that time, only two percent of small business owners had stated that they were planning to allocate more of their budget toward mobile marketing. The current survey also found that almost 25 percent of respondents were planning to allocate a higher percentage of their resources to online video.

Small business owners who are interested in mobile marketing are also embracing social networking in a big way. Approximately 90 per cent of small business owners are active on sites like Facebook and Twitter. Their goal in using these social media sites is to reach out to customers in a positive way and improve their experience in dealing with the business. Using these sites gives the business owner the opportunity to engage in conversations with consumers, which has the potential to lead to a mutually beneficial relationship.

It will be interesting to see what changes occur in mobile marketing for small business strategies over the next 12 months.

Mobile Shoppers Help Make Cyber Monday Record Breaker

Early reports indicate that Cyber Monday 2011 will be one of the strongest in sales to date. The LA Times is reporting that sales for the day may be as high as $1.2 billion, compared to $1 billion last year.

If you have been taking advantage of special offers online, you are far from alone. About 122 million people shop for gifts electronically on Cyber Monday. According to a survey conducted by BigResearch, the number of shoppers using mobile devices to shop is poised to double.

Holiday shopping with mobile devices is even more popular on this day than on Black Friday, which is traditionally thought of as being the busiest shopping day of the year. (According to figures released by ComScore, Black Friday sales were $816 million.) That changed last year, when Cyber Monday sales were higher than the ones rung up by retailers on the day after Thanksgiving.

What can we conclude from these numbers? Shoppers love the convenience of being able to shop from anywhere they can access the internet, without having to fight crowds and wait on lines. I wouldn't say that brick and mortar stores are on the way out, but retailers who want to survive will need to make sure that they are connecting with customers in the way they prefer to make purchases.

Independent Retailers Can Benefit from Mobile Marketing Strategies

Independent businesses and small retailers who have been hanging back and watching to see whether mobile marketing is going to take off or not need to do more than just stick their toes into water to test things out. I say now is the time to make a plan to jump in and develop their own strategies to attract and retain buyers.

According to a survey conducted by an independent market research firm for Deloitte, two out of three parents who responded stated that they intended to use their smartphones as part of the process when purchasing school supplies. These statistics were confirmed by a report prepared by CNBC that found that almost than half of consumers were planning to use their smartphones to get price information, download discount coupons, or find out about sale items.

This trend is only going to grow during the holiday shopping season. With consumers being cautious about their spending, it makes sense that they will consider their purchases very carefully before turning from browsers into buyers. Mobile devices can help shoppers find the best deal on the items they are interested in, and social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook provide opportunities to reach out to the public for every type of business.

Retailers of all sizes can tap into a ready market of buyers who are waiting to hear from them by adopting mobile marketing strategies.

Black Friday Predicted to be Biggest Mobile Season Yet

The day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days of the year. I know that the U.S. economy is still on shaky ground and that consumers will be considering their holiday purchases very carefully. Shoppers will be reaching for their mobile phones and tablets to make their holiday gifts in record numbers, and retailers need to make sure that their mobile sites are ready.

Although the National Retail Federation predicts an increase of 2.8% from 2010, the competition for dollars is still going to be fierce. Many retailers are beginning Black Friday specials on Thanksgiving Day, further indicating this holiday season will be a tough competition for retailers. I would think that offering great deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday would be enough to encourage shoppers to open their wallets, but I can appreciate that if a retailer’s competitor is going to open on Turkey Day that there is pressure to do the same.

Retailers who want to be prepared for the upcoming onslaught of shoppers need to make sure that their mobile and web sites are ready for business. With an estimated 60 million consumers ready to buy, any company with a site that cannot load quickly or handle the volume of orders expected during the kickoff to the holiday season will miss a significant amount of revenue. It will be interesting to find out how the Holiday shopping with mobile devices works out for consumers and the retailers who serve them.

Retailers Poised to Spend More on Mobile Marketing

In today's competitive environment, savvy retailers need to use all the marketing tools in their arsenal, such as organic search, e-mail marketing, social media, and mobile strategies, or they will be left in the dust. A number of businesses are already well versed in internet marketing procedures and e-mail campaigns, but the next Big Thing is going to be connecting with customers through mobile marketing efforts.

A group of retailers recently participated in a survey conducted by Lauren Freedman and the e-tailing group, and the results were very interesting. Facebook and Twitter are currently being used by over 80 percent of retailers who participated in the survey. Another eight percent intended to start using these social networking sites in 2012.

When asked about mobile applications, 19 percent of respondents stated that they are already using this technology and a further 27 percent plan to use this strategy within the next 12 months. Bar codes and QR codes are currently more popular among retailers, with 38 percent of respondents using them now and 31 percent stating they intend to do so within the next year.

Customers will become increasingly accustomed to seeing QR codes and coupons delivered to their smart phones. Retailers who don't jump on the technology bandwagon are running the risk of being left on the proverbial shelf when it comes to loyalty and building their business.

Mobile Coupon Redemption to Hit $43 Billion by 2016

I had a feeling that mobile coupons were going to increase in popularity. I had no idea just how popular they were expected to become until I read the prediction from Juniper Research that they were going to make a jump from $5.4 billion this year to $43 billion by 2016. These kinds of numbers make mobile marketing something that companies can’t afford to ignore going forward.
I suppose that this trend makes sense. Consumers are careful with how they spend their money and most would consider using a coupon for a product they are interested in buying. Mobile coupons make it convenient for marketers to reach out to prospective buyers who are interested in a particular item.
As this technology becomes more commonplace, consumers will be even more likely to use their smart phones to scan QR codes. The consumer will then be presented with information about specific products, ads and mobile coupons. Over time, consumers will be given the opportunity to opt in to coupon campaigns so that the offers they receive will be relevant to their interests.
Eventually, smaller retailers as well as larger organizations will offer mobile coupons. Offering coupons and special deals is an effective way to build customer loyalty and take advantage of situations where motivated customers are on the premises and ready to buy.

Holiday Shoppers Ready to Go Mobile in 2011

With the holiday shopping season fast approaching, retailers are gearing up for what is arguably the busiest time of the year. Many people are getting started early and that the official kick-off to the season is Black Friday. I like the holidays but I do not look forward to visiting crowded stores, so I can understand why shoppers are interested in techniques that make buying gifts a quicker and easier process.

Stores using QR codes will find that this technique is especially important at this time of year. They can be readily adapted to a retailer's in-store displays or print advertising. When a customer scans a code, the customer can receive a link to special offers, the retailer's Facebook or Twitter page or other content that the customer should find relevant.

Since a number of people now carry smart phones with them wherever they go, embracing mobile marketing for the holidays makes perfect sense. Retailers can invite customers to follow them on Twitter or like them on Facebook to be eligible for special offers and to be the first to learn about the company's promotions.

I understand that the holidays are a busy time of year with a lot of competition for shoppers' attention. Using QR codes can make the experience a bit more enjoyable by offering a novelty factor that will appeal to consumers who are looking for something different.